Radhika Apte says artistes need good support system for #MeToo movement to work in Bollywood

The 33-year-old actor said not only women but men also need to "come out of their fears" and share their stories of harassment and sexual abuse. "The main cause is power game. Be it religious, sexual or economical- it happens everywhere. Nobody wants to lose their power..."

Radhika Apte. Image from Facebook

"This is a grey area. We need to have a good support system and come out of our fears. Well, not just women but men too are harassed in our industry," Apte said during a session at the India Today Mind Rocks 2018.

"I can share one incident that happened recently, I had actually hurt my back. We did the shoot and I was heading back to my room with another guy who was in the same lift. He was part of the film but we had not spoken much. He said that, 'Let me know if you need me in the middle of the night for help, I can come and give your back a rub.'

"But the good part was that the atmosphere on the sets was so easy and comfortable, I told the filmmakers and they had a meeting with him in person.

Then I came to know that the culture that he comes from is such that he didn't realise that he made me uncomfortable with that statement. However, later he never made me feel uncomfortable and apologised," she revealed.

The #MeToo movement began with allegations of sexual harassment and rape against Hollywood mogul Harvey Weinstein and triggered a global movement. It eventually led to structural changes in Hollywood and the launch of the Time's Up campaign.